The Blind Side takes on the real-life
underdog-makes-good story of Michael Oher, currently a first-year left
tackle for the Baltimore Ravens. It's not unimpressive because it's a
"feel-good" story, but because it's simply a lazy piece of
movie-making. — Scott Renshaw

Until she meets David, a man almost twice
her age, 16-year-old Jenny is well-behaved and studious, gifted on the
cello and aiming to study literature at Oxford. Ultimately, An
Education feels more mature than most coming-of-age movies, and
will buoy anyone who remembers taking that first peek into life beyond
parents and textbooks. — Tricia Olszewski

Kimball's Peak Three

The Fourth Kind (PG-13)

This "fact-based" film tells the tale of an
Alaskan town whose residents have been disappearing in unexplained
circumstances and alien encounters are suspected. — Not
reviewed

Carmike 10, Chapel Hills 15

G-Force (PG)

A team of guinea pigs, trained as high-tech
spies through a secret government program battle to save the planet.
— Not reviewed

Picture Show

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (PG-13)

A team of elite soldiers must take on a
dangerous group known as Cobra, which is led by a nefarious weapons
dealer. — Not reviewed

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*Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
(PG)

Half-Blood Prince is far less dense
with magical action than its predecessors, and perhaps that makes it
feel like a stage-setter for the finale that will be Deathly
Hallows. Yet it's so rich with characterization that it scarcely
matters. — Scott Renshaw

Picture Show

*The Hurt Locker (R)

Set in Baghdad in 2004, The Hurt
Locker follows a fictional U.S. Army bomb squad, whose members are
formally known as Explosive Ordnance Disposal technicians, and casually
known as the bravest sons of bitches you can imagine. —
Jonathan Kiefer

Picture Show

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (PG)

This time out, Manny the mammoth (voiced by
Ray Romano) is about to be a dad, but complications ensue. —
MaryAnn Johanson

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The Informant! (R)

Aren't we due for a great black comedy about
white-collar crime? The Informant! isn't it. — Jonathan
Kiefer

In this romantic comedy's alternate reality,
even the idea of a lie doesn't exist, until a man (Ricky Gervais)
discovers and begins to use the ability to his benefit. — Not
reviewed

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*Julie & Julia (PG-13)

Meryl Streep is delightful as cooking legend
Julia Child. Endearing Amy Adams plays her counterpart Julie Powell, a
woman who decides to launch a blog chronicling her preparation of every
recipe from Julia's cookbook Mastering the Art of French
Cooking. — Scott Renshaw

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Love Happens (PG-13)

After a widower writes a bestselling book on
dealing with loss, he finds himself falling for a woman (Jennifer
Aniston) he meets at one of his seminars. — Not
reviewed

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The Men Who Stare at Goats (R)

Reporter Bob Wilton finds himself distraught
after his wife leaves him. Determined to throw himself into his work,
he heads to the Middle East to find a story in the Iraq war, but
uncovers a U.S. military operation created to develop soldiers with
psychic abilities. — Scott Renshaw

Carmike 10, Hollywood Interquest

Michael Jackson's This Is It (PG)

This music documentary features rehearsals
for the London tour that never happened, behind-the-scenes moments, and
other footage of the pop star. — Not reviewed

Chapel Hills 15

*Pirate Radio (R)

Pirate Radio is set in 1966, when
British radio stations didn't carry rock 'n roll. It's also set on a
seafaring broadcast operation, with an assortment of deejays-at-sea
that fill the recipe for great comedy. — Scott Renshaw

Tinseltown

Planet 51 (PG)

In this animated adventure, the residents of
a far-off planet live in dread of aliens invading their homeland, when
an astronaut shows up confirming their fears. — Not
reviewed

This animated film from Japanese director
Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away), tells the story of a boy and his
goldfish who dreams of becoming a princess. — Not
reviewed

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*Shorts (PG)

Shorts is a zippy, slapsticky romp
about a suburban town gone bonkers when a wish-granting,
rainbow-colored rock falls out of the sky. — Jonathan
Kiefer

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Surrogates (PG-13)

In a future world where people stay inside
while their surrogate robots interact for them, Bruce Willis plays a
cop who must emerge to investigate a string of killings. — Not
reviewed

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*The Time Traveler's Wife (PG-13)

Henry DeTamble suffers from a genetic
anomaly that causes him to become displaced in time, at random moments
he can't control. — MaryAnn Johanson

Picture Show

The Twilight Saga: New Moon (PG-13)

In this second installment based on the
books by Stephenie Meyer, Edward, a vampire, and his human girlfriend
Bella Swan mope around a lot. Two hours of pretty teenagers —
including Bella's werewolf friend, Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner), who
doesn't like vampires but does like Bella — making moon eyes at
one another in this love triangle is an hour-forty-five too much.
— MaryAnn Johanson

Elderly curmudgeon Carl (Edward Asner)
launches his house into the air with a massive cascade of balloons and
a plan to head to a South American jungle. —Scott
Renshaw

Picture Show

*Zombieland (R)

The flesh-eating undead are not,
understandably, every movie-goer's taste. But this time, skipping the
latest zombie flick will mean missing what may be the funniest American
comedy of 2009. — Scott Renshaw